Kernochan Center Annual Symposium: The 1976 Copyright Act

Kernochan Center Symposium 2026: Origins, Evolution, and Possible Futures of the 1976 Copyright Act

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Copyright Act of 1976, the Kernochan Center for Law, Media and the Arts at Columbia Law School and the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology are sponsoring a joint, bi-coastal symposium. The first event, held at Berkeley in April 2026, examined the origins of the 1976 Act, its central reforms, and the strains that technological change has placed on the regime.

This second event, at Columbia Law School on October 23–24, 2026, examines the working of public and private institutions in the 1976 Act, with contributions examining the roles of Congress, the Copyright Office, the judiciary, and private ordering in shaping the regime. Both events consider how copyright law might be reformed to meet the challenges posed by new technologies, most pressingly artificial intelligence.

For more information, including a schedule and list of speakers, please visit the Symposium website.  Essays from the Columbia event will be published in the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts.

This program offers 9.5 CLE credits in Areas of Professional Practice category, for both experienced and newly admitted attorneys.

• Tickets for private practitioners are $499.   Online-only tickets are $375 with code ONLINE.
• In-house counsel may use code INHOUSE for $150 tickets, or VINHOUSE for $125 online tickets.
• Academic, non-profit, and government employees may use code NONPROF for $25 in-person tickets, or VNONPROF for $25 online tickets.
• Columbia faculty and staff, and students from any institution may use the code CLS for free in-person tickets, or VCLS for free online tickets.. 
• If you would like to attend but are financially unable, please reach out to Samara Weiss at [email protected].

TICKETS ARE TRANSFERABLE BUT NON-REFUNDABLE.

Information Regarding New York CLE Credits:

Columbia Law School has been certified by the New York State Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Board as an Accredited Provider of CLE programs. Under New York State CLE regulations, this live simultaneous transmission transitional and non-transitional CLE Program will provide 9.5 hours of New York CLE credit in the Areas of Professional Practice category. This CLE credit is awarded only to New York attorneys for full attendance of the program in its entirety. Attendance is determined by an attorney's submission of their Attorney Attendance Affirmation with appropriate course codes noted (for virtual participants) or by signing in and out (for in-person participants). Attorneys also should submit their completed Evaluation Form, provided by the program organizers. Please note the NYS Certificates of Attendance will be sent to the email address as it appears in the register unless otherwise noted there.